12 debt-ridden farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha

Nagpur, Mar 26: As many as 12 debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in the last 24 hours in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a voluntary organisation working among farmers in the region, the 12 farmers who ended their lives included four from Amravati district, two each from Yavatmal, Akola and Wardha districts and one each from Chandrapur and Buldhana districts.

Earlier, 17 farmers took the extreme step in various parts of the region during the festival of Holi. Thus, the total number of suicides by farmers over the past week have gone upto 29, a VJAS press release said. With this, the number of farmers who have ended their lives in 2008 has touched the mark of 235. These included 80 in January, 86 in February and 69 in March, the release added.

UNI